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Kenneth Dungee
kenneth dungee grave.jpg|Gravesite for Kenneth Dungee Greensboro hit run5 lavern allen.jpg Greensboro hit run6 darius.jpg Real Name: Kenneth Lynn Dungee Nicknames: Kenny Location: Durham, North Carolina Date: December 23, 1988 Case Details: Nineteen-year-old Kenneth Lynn Dungee was a young student looking forward to college. On the afternoon of December 23, 1988, he joined his friends Lavern Allen III, Kenneth Newkirk and Darius Bannerman on a trip to do some late Christmas shopping. They planned to take an hour-and-a-half drive from Greensboro to Raleigh along Interstate 40. Seventeen-year-old Lavern was driving his father's Plymouth Duster; he had just received a scholarship from the Air Force Academy. Nineteen-year-old Kenneth Dungee was an engineering student, planning to start college in the fall. Seventeen-year-old Kenneth Newkirk was in the backseat; he had recently received a scholarship to a local college. His seventeen-year-old cousin, Darius, was a high school basketball star. They had all been close friends for years. While driving along Interstate 40, they passed by a car driven by Grady Alexander. Seconds later, Grady noticed a blue Monte Carlo speeding past him, apparently following the Plymouth Duster. He noticed that the car had Georgia plates and that a man and woman were in it. At this point, the occupants of the Plymouth Duster realized that the Monte Carlo was closing in on them. Lavern tried to speed up, but the vehicle remained right behind their front bumper. Darius had taken a nap, but awoke to his friends talking about the car behind them. All of a sudden, the Monte Carlo's driver hit the front end of his car into the back of the Plymouth Duster. Lavern sped up, weaving between cars in order to get the Monte Carlo away from them. However, the Monte Carlo continued to follow them, extremely close behind. Darius noticed that the other driver had an angry and crazy look on his face, as if they had done something to him. The Monte Carlo's driver went around the side and side-swiped the Plymouth Duster. He then went behind them and again hit the back of their vehicle. After being struck from the back several times, Lavern lost control of the car and it went off the side of the road, flipping over and landing in a field. A few minutes later, at 2:30 pm, police and paramedics arrived at the scene. Lavern was trapped in the car for a half hour. After being airlifted to a trauma center, his leg was amputated at the thigh. Ken Newkirk had suffered a fractured skull and a broken leg. Darius had a broken wrist and facial injuries. Sadly, Ken Dungee was pronounced dead at the scene. Eyewitnesses described a man and woman in the Monte Carlo who briefly stopped and got out of the car to look; the woman yelled for the man to come back into the car. The two then got back into the car and drove off. The police would like to speak to the man driving the car. Since Kenneth and his friends were African-American, the accident was suspected to be racially-motivated, but the killer or killers have yet to stand forward to take credit for the alleged attack. Suspects: The light blue Monte Carlo had Georgia license plates and was driven by a man with dirty brown hair and a mustache; at the time, he was in his twenties. His female passenger had blonde or reddish hair; at the time, she was also in her twenties. They have never been identified. Extra Notes: This segment originally aired on the January 31, 1990 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. For unknown reasons, a photograph of victim Kenneth Dungee was not shown. Results: Unsolved. Darius Bannerman has reported that he, Lavern, and Kenneth Newkirk have all started families and have successful careers. Unfortunately, he also noted that the assailant(s) have never been located or identified. However, a female informant did come forward, claiming that she knew the identity of the assailant. She claimed that the assailant was a friend of her brother's. The unidentified suspect had told the informant's brother that he had committed the crime. He stated that he was a wanted fugitive on Unsolved Mysteries, and that he had ran a car of African-American teenagers off the road. Since then, this unidentified suspect has spent time in and out of prison. The informant has further stated that this man looked identical to the suspect sketch. However, it is unknown if this suspect was ever arrested or even questioned in this case. Links: * Kenneth Dungee at Unsolved.com * Highway Patrol wants students involved in hit-and-run to take lie detector tests * Reward offered in fatal accident * Victims of interstate hit-and-run puzzled as to why it happened * Hit-and-run victim returns to high school * Guilty conscience hoped for in case * Hit and run driver still being sought * TV show help sought in wreck * Television crew visits Burlington * Hit-and-run still lingers for victims * Memories Of Hit-And-Run Incident Linger On For Victims * Mysterious accident still haunts its victims * Leads few in mysterious 2-year-old hit-and-run * SitcomsOnline Discussion about Case * Kenneth Dungee at Find a Grave ---- Category:North Carolina Category:1988 Category:Murder Category:Attempted Murder Category:Vehicular Manslaughter Category:Road-Related Cases Category:Unsolved